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MANILA, Philippines – Netizens slammed the latest arrest of Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa as clear proof of a pattern of harassment and intimidation of the press in the country.
On Friday, March 29, Pasig police served Ressa a warrant of arrest as soon as she deplaned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. The Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 265 issued the warrant on Thursday, March 28.
The arrest comes over a month after Ressa’s first arrest in connection with a cyber libel case filed by the Department of Justice. (READ: Cyber libel charges ‘unfounded’ – Rappler’s Maria Ressa)
Netizens took to Twitter to weigh in on the development.
One after another, the Duterte admin has used and abused all available structures and processes to silence the independent media. It’s not just @rapplerdotcom nor @mariaressa, it’s a crackdown against those who’d dare scrutinize this government.#HoldTheLine #DefendPressFreedom https://t.co/p31ixWc56I
This is clear harassment on press freedom. Shame on the president and this administration, afraid of journalists and the truth. #defendpressfreedom #holdtheline
This is the 7th active court case against Ressa, and the 11th case against Rappler, its directors, and staff since January 2018, when the Securities and Exchange Commission ordered the revocation of Rappler’s business license over alleged violation of nationality restrictions on ownership and control of mass media entities.
“This pattern of harassment against Rappler that started in January 2018, when the Securities and Exchange Commission issued an order revoking its license, has not stopped,” Rappler said in its statement.
Online, netizens also pointed out how the government was using taxpayers’ money to “silence its critics.”
Imagine wasting taxpayers’ money just to arrest a person critical of you for trumped up charges. #HoldTheLine
Duterte administration is terrified that they are willing to spend taxpayers’ money to block the truth by bullying journalists against his administration. #HoldTheLine @mariaressa https://t.co/17j7I32avB
— Alyanna Yzabelle Tamayo (@ayaatamayo) March 29, 2019
On Twitter, hashtags #HoldTheLine and #DefendPressFreedom quickly trended as netizens slammed Ressa’s arrest.
#HoldTheLine – Curated tweets by rapplerdotcom
– Rappler.com
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